Hobbyhorse



June'24, 1958 .E. K. JENKS HOBBYl -IORSE Filed March 29, 1955 IN VE N TOR. EARL A. JEN/(5 ATTORNEYS.

2,840,377 Patented June 24, 1958 United States Patent Office 2,840,377 HOBBYHORSE Earl K. Jenks, Lamont, Iowa Application March 29, 1955, seriarNo. 497,485 4 Claims. (cl. 272-1 My invention relates to hobbyhorses and contemplates certain novel features for enhancing the enjoyment and usethereof. I

lttlore particularly it is one of the objects of this invention to provide a hobbyhorse having a head movable in a nodding fashion and also having movable ears.

A further object inhering in my invention is the provision of means controlling both the movement of the head and the ears.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel hobbyhorse of the above class whereby the movement of the head and ears can be effected separately and the ears may be moved individually or together.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention and showing the head of the horse in its down or lowered position,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of one side of the head portion showing the head in'raised position and the ears in lowered position,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the other side of the head portion similar to Fig.2 but showing how the ears can be raised, and I f Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings a pole or stick carries a configuration of a horses head 12 on one end in the usual relationship for a hobbyhorse toy. Generally, in such articles the head 12 is immovably attached to the pole 10 but in my hobbyhorse, I have provided a notch or slot 14 in one end of the pole 10 in which the neck portion 16 of the head 12 is pivotally attached by means of a pin 18. Head 12 is preferably formed from a flat piece of any suitable material such as wood, plastic or the like, is painted or otherwise decorated-to form a bridle' 20 and eyes 22 and has the notch 23 to form the mouth in a well known manner and by virtue of its pivotal connection to pole 10 moves up and down in a nodding action, as will later appear, when used in the customary fashion for such toys. The neck 16 as formed has the rearward end or surface 24 and pin 18 is positioned intermediate the respective ends thereof and relatively close to end 24 so that such end abuts the inner end of notch 14 at times which serves as a stop to limit both the upward and downward position to which head 12 may be moved.

At each side of the'head 12 in the position where the ears of a horse are normally found there is mounted a circular plate or disc 26, each of which is rotatably arranged on its axis by the pin or rivet 28 and designed to rotate independently of each other. To the outer side of each disc 26 I have secured a member 30 which is 2 designed to simulate ears for the head 12 and while I have preferably used an elongated strip of leather folded along its longitudinal axis and tapered at one end 32 as shown, any suitable material having suflicient body for the action to be described can be used. The rearward end of the ears 30 are secured to the respective discs 26 by the pin 28 for movement therewith and also preferably by an additional rivet 34 at its upper rear portion to hold it snugly against disc 26. Thus mounted, ears 30 will normally lie flush against the side of head 12 and will extend from disc 26 forwardly to about the area of the simulated bridle 20. A strip of elastic material or the like 36 is engaged at its center in a hole,38 in the lower area of the mouth portion of head 12 with the respective strip ends secured to and through the respective cars 30 to the discs 26 by a rivet 40 Ma point offset or in'eccentric relationship to the axes of the discs 26 and when the ears are down as in Figs. 1 and 2 rivet 40 will be disposed upwardly and forwardly from pin 28. Material 36 is preferably secured without slack and lies against the respective outer surfaces or sides of ears 30 to serve as a guard or retaining means to keep the ears from lateral distortion. A pair of reins 42 has one end of each rein secured to the respective rivets 40 and together with strip 36 simulates the whole rein assembly.

This hobbyhorse is of course used in the customary fashion by straddling the pole 10 and holding reins 42 in the hand. Head 12 or the adjacent end of pole 10 can also be held in one hand for support and the head 12 can be caused to nod by a slight pull on the reins. As this is done, the head will rise to the position shown in Fig. 2 where its travel is limited as described and it will drop to the position in Fig. 1 by its own weight when pressure on the reins is relaxed. With the head 12 in its upward position, a further pull on either or both of the reins will rotate the disc or discs 26 rearwardly causing the ears 30 to rise as shown in Fig. 3. As mentioned above, ears 30 can be moved or wiggled as it were individually or simultaneously to add to the enjoyment and pleasure of the user.

It is submitted that the invention shown and described is aptly suited to achieve the purposes intended and is characterized by a combination of highly useful and mutually cooperating elements that combine their respective and proportionate functions in accomplishing the objects sought to be obtained.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my hobbyhorse without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. A hobbyhorse, comprising, a pole having a notch in one end, a simulated horses head arranged in said notch for a pivotal movement to effect a nodding action by the head, a disc at each side of said head in the usual position for a horses ear, said discs mounted for rotation individually about their respective axes, a simulated horses ear secured at one end to each of said respective discs, yielding means to normally hold said ears in a predetermined position relative to said head, a rein secured to each respective disc at a point offset from the axis thereof whereby a slight pull on either or both reins will elevate said head on its pivot point and a continued a pull on either or both reins will rotate a respective disc and move a respective ear accordingly.

2. A hobbyhorse, comprising a pole, a simulated horses head on one end thereof, a pair of simulated horses ears, each ear of said pair pivotally secured at one end to opposite sides of said head, reins mounted through rein portions.

3. A hobbyhorse, comprising a pole, a simulated horse's, head on one end thereof, a disc at each side of said head in the usual position for a horses ear, said discs, mounted for rotation individually about their, re-

spective axes, a simulated horses ear secured at one end to each of said respective discs, yielding means connecting the/mouth of said horseshead to said respective discs at a point oflsetfrom the axes thereof to normally hold said ears in a predetermined position relative to said head, a rein secured toeach respective disc at a point offset from the axis thereof, and said discs rotatable by a pull their normal position. V

4. A hobbyhorse, comprising a pole, a simulated horses head on one end thereof, a disc at each side of said on said reins whereby said ears are moved away from r heads in the usual position for a horses ear, said discs mounted for rotation individually about their respective axes, a simulated horses ear secured at one end to each of said respective discs, reins mounted through the mouth of said head and secur ed intermediate their ends to said discs at a point offset firom the axes thereof, said reins extending from said discs-in aposition to be grasped, the rein portion through said mouth being resilient to normally hold said ears in a predetermined position relative to said head, said rein portions extending from said discs being non-resilient, andsaid discs rotatable by a pull on the non resilient portion of said reins whereby said ears on said discs are moved away from their normal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

